The preliminary estimate of the Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to 215.8 billion patacas (26.94 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of May 2011, according to the figures released on Wednesday by the Monetary Authority of Macao.

The reserves for May rose by 3.5 percent over the previous month, and, when compared with a year earlier, the reserves increased by 36.4 percent, the figures indicated.

Macao's foreign exchange reserves at the end of May 2011 represented 38 times the currency in circulation at the end of April.

The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, fell by 0.13 points month-to-month and 4.76 points year-on-year to 87.03 in May 2011.